Dangerous Medication

I love my cat.  I mean who wouldn’t love that fat little furry creature.  But recently he has been having this elimination problem where we find a deposit on our kitchen floor in the morning.  So it was off to the vet to see what the matter was.  I knew he had fleas and the flea medication I got for him (Adams the first month and Pet Armor the next) didn’t seem to be working.  I figured maybe the reason he was leaving us presents was that the he was itching so bad that he couldn’t handle it.  I love my cat, but I really hate going to the vet because it’s always a $200 bill!  I can’t afford to keep running there all the time.

So to the vet we go and found out that the over the counter stuff is really dangerous!  They told us that a kitty just died after using that stuff.  Apparently the active ingredient used in the solution is an old formula and fleas are immune so it doesn’t work anyway.  I don’t know the particulars about whether this owner used the medication wrong, but that’s what they said.  I did find one article that talked about these issues prompting putting warnings on the boxes, and it said that there have been 600 reported deaths.  It also said that most death cases the medication was a larger dose that the animal was supposed to get, so that could be the problem rather than the chemical itself.  I did find an alternative, an organic product from Organic Products called Flea Free which you add to their drinking water.  I ordered a bottle and will see how that works.  As you may know, I don't like chemicals.

So the end result is that we got a chemical product, Revolution, from the vet along with his rabies and distemper shots.  We also did a stool sample to rule out any parasites, and he was given a tape worm pill because with fleas animals always have tape worms.  This morning?  Yes, my baby left us a present.  I can’t put the medication on him until Sunday because it was only last week we put the Pet Amour on.  Maybe after the meds the presents will stop.  As I said, I love my cat, but I don’t love his gifts.

The Future is Now

I read an article the other day about how they are finding a way in the lab to power implants in the brain by using the glucose already present in the brain. These implants would eventually be able to move paralyzed limbs, something that has been experimented with for years.  I would imagine that it could also be used to move prosthetic limbs as well. It is really exciting to read but I am sure that it’s somewhat off in the future before this kind of technology is used on a more global scale.

According to a New York Times article I found on the web, almost 2 percent of people in this country have a form of paralysis, most of which are due to strokes or spinal cord injuries.  Until recently there really wasn’t an accurate count, but now with these numbers known it is easier to understand the impact on policy and medical costs.  It does cover quite a bit of types of immobility, but whatever the number, to have something as extraordinary as the ability to move a non-mobile limb for any amount of time would be groundbreaking.

This kind of news never ceases to amaze me.  We have come so far in medical technology or any kind of technology really, in such a relatively short time.  Before you know it the images of rebuilt limbs and giving people the ability to walk again could be a reality.

Herbal Remedies

Today, while researching natural remedies for colds, I came across a site that has a list specific remedies to help.  Over the last few years, I have become more and more interested in natural remedies over Western medicine.  To me the drug industry is just trying to separate you from your money and get us hooked on different pharmaceuticals.   Yeah, for cancer and serious illnesses I am certainly not going to refuse drugs, but I would investigate natural substances to supplement.   I think we as a nation take way too many artificial medications and that it will ultimately cause a decline in overall health over the next generations.

That being said, for the common cold I have heard many people tell me that they are taking antibiotics and I am horrified.  A cold, or even the flu, is a virus; everybody knows that.  An antibiotic, like its name suggests, kills bacteria and will do nothing to help a cold or even the flu.  I think a doctor who prescribes antibiotics for a cold should have their license revoked.  Maybe if a serious cold or flu has caused a bacterial infection then it would be okay but the doctor should really do a blood test to determine if bacteria are present.  Trouble is that most blood tests for those purposes take a long time to culture so some doctors just figure it’s benign enough to do.  Not so!  I don’t have a medical degree, but I do know that antibiotics kill EVERYTHING in your body including the good bacteria that help digest food properly, and not having anything is not good and can lead to other issues. 

So in the future instead of subscribing to the theory that you need to take a score of chemicals to run your life, look toward nature and see if there is something that can help with a minor cold or ailment.  I think you will find that being gentler on your body with the use of natural herbs and plants is better in the long run.  Stay healthy out there!